The present invention is directed to a hanger conveyance rail system and more specifically to a hanger conveyance rail system which includes a low friction cover.
Present day laundry facilities, particularly large scale industrial laundry facilities, utilize rail systems on which clothes on hangers are transported between different locations. The rail systems typically include an overhead metallic rail on which the hook portion of the hanger glides as the clothes are pushed or pulled from one location o the next. With these rail systems a large number of clothes may be simultaneously pushed or pulled by an operator to guide them to the next processing location. These rail systems are typically referred to as glide or speed rails.
Although these speed rail systems are useful in transporting clothes between processing locations in these industrial type laundry facilities, they are not completely without disadvantages. First, both the rail and hangers are typically made of metallic material; the overhead speed rail being typically made of flat stock steel or pipe. Therefore, considerable friction occurs on the "glide surface" of the speed rail as the hangers are pushed or pulled on the rail. To reduce the friction between the hangers and the rail, the rail is typically greased or waxed. The grease or wax is typically applied by spraying or other well know conventional methods.
This waxing or greasing requirement results in several disadvantages in these facilities. For example, the grease or wax may be inadvertently deposited onto one of the garments which is to be cleaned, or even worse may be deposited onto an article of clothing which has already been cleaned. If wax is deposited onto a clean article of clothing the article may have to be recleaned or in an extreme case the wax may ruin the article.
Conventional rail systems also provide difficulties for the operator who handles the articles on the hangers between processing stations. As the hangers are manually removed by the operator from the rail system, the operator's hands and fingers will typically pick up some of the wax. If the operator then handles any garments which are to be cleaned or which have already been cleaned, the operator may then soil the garments with the wax which the operator has previously picked up from the hangers. Further, in a commercial setting the operator may also work at a counter accepting and delivering articles from customers which the laundry is to clean. The operator's hands will then have an embarrassing soiled appearance at the customer counter.
Present day rail systems also have disadvantages other than the inadvertent transfer of grease or wax to the articles which are being processed. For example, as the steel hangers are pushed and pulled manually along the overhead rail conveyance system, the friction which occurs on the glide surface removes the wax or grease from the glide surface. Eventually all of the wax that has been applied is removed and thus the rail becomes unwaxed and unprotected. The bare rail will then become rusty, pitted, worn and generally unattractive. Pushing and pulling the hangers becomes slow and sluggish. The operator must then exert a greater force to move the articles on the rail system. The operator thus becomes more tired and less efficient. Additionally, as the friction increases, the finished garments are crushed and wrinkled as they are pushed between work stations.
Further, as the wax wears off of the rail the noise generated by sliding the hangers on the rail will increase, thereby providing a less comfortable working environment. The noise level is also undesirable in a commercial setting where customers may have to bear the additional noise.
To avoid the sluggish movement and reduce the friction, the wax must be reapplied. This reapplication process is time consuming and the wax may be transferred to articles of clothing during the application process. Further, there is the continuous cost of the wax or grease. Although at less frequent periods, the rail must also be painted to protect the metallic rail from rusting and to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the rail.
The use of a low friction cover for a hanger support bar has been previously disclosed in the art. However the prior art devices are not suitable for modern day speed rail systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,244 discloses a support bar for clothes hangers which includes an elongated tubular core, a covering around the core, and spaced elongated bead members formed of anti-friction material disposed longitudinally on the covering. The beads prevent the clothes hangers from scraping the bar covering and thus facilitate sliding action along the support bar.
The arrangement disclosed in this patent however, is not suitable for modifying existing speed rail systems. First, the arrangement disclosed in this patent includes a closed cross section such that the cover envelopes the support bar. To assemble the cover and support bar system, the bar must be concentrically inserted into the cover. With such a configuration, existing speed rail systems would have to be completely replaced with a prefabricated rail which includes the closed covering as an integral component or the existing rail would have to be dismantled to provide access for the covering to be installed on the existing rail. In the latter case the system must then be reassembled.
Further, since present day laundry rail systems include curves and ramps, any covering which is installed over these existing rails must have the ability to conform to the curves in the rail without kinking, bending or breaking. In fact, it may be necessary for the cover to make a 180.degree. turn within a two foot length. The cover must also be able to assume both inside and outside curves without lifting or separating from the rail surface at any point along the curve. Any lifting or separation may result in the cover being inadvertently removed from the surface of the rail.
With a closed cross sectional configuration, such as the one disclosed in the above-referred to patent, the cover element would not conform to the curves or ramps in the rail system unless the cover was specifically pre-molded for each individual system.
Additionally, for shipping purposes, it is desirable that the cover have the ability to be cut, coiled and boxed in pre-determined lengths, such as 25, 50 and 500 foot lengths, without kinking or cracking.
It is therefore desirable, to provide a covering which may be easily installed on existing rail systems. It is also desirable to provide a covering which may be easily shipped and sold in any desired length to accommodate existing systems without the need for seams between installed sections of the covering.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rail system including a cover which enhances the smoothness of the conveyance system's glide surface by reducing the friction between a metal hanger and the conveyance rail.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a conveyance rail system which includes a durable cover which provides substantial periods of maintenance-free operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cover for a conveyance rail system which may be easily applied to an existing conveyance rail system without the need to dismantle the system.
It is still a further objection of the present invention to provide a removable cover for a rail system which is easily cut, coiled and packaged for shipment.